My very local, local patch

With time limited for going birding in recent weeks, I've elected to sack it off and just go to stretch my legs on the only patch of green accessible within walking distance of the house - a walking track open to the public in the Ministry of Public Relations (does that mean "Ministry for Censorship?!!). It's given me a few birdy moments - with Black-naped Orioles, Taiga Fly, Yellow-brows and a wintering Brown Shrike all within 5 minutes of the house. However in the last couple of days this site has excelled itself, with a BLACK-CAPPED KINGFISHER perched atop on of the ministry out-buildings (next to a lilly pond) on 23rd, and this morning a PEREGRINE being hassled by Large-billed Crows on the radio tower. Fantastic!

The mid-winter slump

There is no excuse for a mid-winter slump in Thailand, unless of course you have something very big to preoccupy you. In my case there has been a major preoccupation in recent weeks - namely the planning and celebrating of our wedding last weekend...so birding has been on the back-burner. The little bits I have done however have been very high quality - a days diving off Koh Phi Phi on 30th December produced at least two female CHRISTMAS ISLAND FRIGATEBIRDS amongst a wheeling group of LESSER FRIGATEBIRDS around Koh Bida Nok during our surface interval - the Xmas birds were quite easy to pick up on size, once we had our eye-in (greater frigatebird is also a possibility in this area, so plumage features need to be observed carefully).

Then a morning walk around the resort we stayed at on Koh Samet produced excellent views of a male WHITE-THROATED ROCK THRUSH on 13th January.